UNMIK ON AIR

15^TH April 2003

KPS Graduation

(Zoran Culafic)

Hello and welcome to UNMIK ON AIR with Sputnik Kilambi.

The graduation ceremony this weekend of 2 classes of Kosovo police cadets is being seen as a landmark event by the KPS. Nearly half the graduating police officers were Serbs, the highest percentage of minority representatives since the Kosovo police force was set up almost four years ago.

Fadil Gasi: It is a pleasure and an honor to greet all the participants in the name of 23 and 24 generations of KPS School. I greet all the participants in this solemnity, instructors, managerial staff and the international institutions for the professional and financial help they have given for professional training of the Kosovar police.

A colorful ceremony at the Sports Centre in Prishtina as a total of 113 young men and women were formally integrated into Kosovo’s police force. The large number of Serb graduates this year is an obvious source of pride for police authorities – not least because they come from across Kosovo.

Graduate 1: It’s good, I’m here with my friends … we hope we’ll succeed in establishing peace for all the people of Kosovo and we’ll do our best to achieve that.

Graduate 2: Super, I’m Vesna Jagodic, graduated in 24th class, it was super. I’ll be working in Gnjilane

Graduate 3: Svetlana Kapetanovic, 24th class, and I’ll work in Kosovo Polje.

Q: how do you feel now?

I’m happy.

Q: do you have any fears?

No, no at all, everything will be super and I hope it’ll be OK

Graduate 4: I will become a police officer for Kosovo; I will serve the people of Kosovo. I will fight crime. We will work together.

Graduate 5: I live in Pristina and I feel very good now. I wish all the best to all my friends here. We spent a very good time in the school with Serbs and Bosniaks. It was really super. My first job will be on border, I’m going to work at General Jankovic as border police officer and I think I’m, ready to do the job.

Kosovo Albanian police instructor Faik Krasniqi is a proud man today. He never had any doubts that Albanians and Serbs could work together he says.

Faik Krasnici: Everything was OK, we have half Serbs and half Albanians and you see how the ceremony looks like here. It’s excellent and I wish this generation 23rd - 24th class all the best. Starting from tomorrow they will go to their places and start working

And judging from the comments made by his former pupils, they are indeed committed to a truly multi-ethnic police force in Kosovo.

Dem Lopkaj: I feel good. My name is Deme Lokaj, I am from the fourth generation, I am happy I have completed the police school. KPS is for all, and it is multiethnic police force.

Danijela Marinkovic: I feel good, I’m satisfied and I did not feel repentant at all because I choose this way; everything is very good and I hope in future will the same.

A sense of hope then from Kosovo’ s newest police graduates. Once only wish them all the luck in the world. That does it for this edition of UNMIK ON AIR. Thanks for tuning in.